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Tuesday, 27 September 2016

ALBUM REVIEW: Meshuggah - "The Violent Sleep of Reason"

By: Chris Markwell

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 07/10/2016

Label: Nuclear Blast

Trying to describe Meshuggah’s sound is a
challenge.The only way I can put it is
that they’re a musical cascade: a never-ending barrage of sound and heaviness
pounding down upon you.Don’t expect or
ballad or moments of levity here, this is a relentless tide which you will not
escape from.Tracks like ‘MonstoCity’
and ‘Our Rage Won’t Die’ are pummelling tracks of new material which can easily
be slotted in to their live setlist and not seem out of place.In fact, the same could be said for any of
those songs on display here: like a chain forged by Vulcan, there’s not a weak
link present.It all hits, and hits
hard.

“The Violent Sleep of Reason” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Clockworks (7:15)

2. Born In Dissonance (4:34)

3. MonstroCity (6:13)

4. By The Ton (6:04)

5. Violent Sleep Of Reason (6:51)

6. Ivory Tower (4:59)

7. Stifled (6:31)

8. Nostrum (5:15)

9. Our Rage Won't Die (4:41)

10. Into Decay (6:32)

The Review:

In all honesty, there is one band that should spring
into the mind of every metalhead when the word ‘djent’ is uttered.In fact, if you believe there is a hierarchy
among prog and djent bands, then Sweden’s Meshuggah is king: hell, the term
itself was coined from the sound made by these guys.Irrespective of whether you like or loathe
the term, you can’t help but marvel at the uniqueness at which these people
decided to create music.Innovative,
gifted, heavy, these guys make heavy music like ordinary people make
toast.Seriously, it’s almost annoying
how easy they make it all look.2012 saw
the release of Meshuggah’s
most commercially successful album to date (“Koloss” and, seriously, get yourself a copy if you haven’t
already); October 7th, 2016 sees their return to your speakers with “The Violent Sleep of Reason”.Best warn those things in advance, because it
is going to get heavy.

Trying to describe Meshuggah’s sound is a
challenge.The only way I can put it is
that they’re a musical cascade: a never-ending barrage of sound and heaviness
pounding down upon you.Don’t expect or
ballad or moments of levity here, this is a relentless tide which you will not
escape from.Fans of earlier releases
like “obZen”and “Nothing”will find themselves comforted by the
fact that Meshuggah’s
core groove has not been changed, which gives a good foundation in the
familiar, but is then built on with track after track of great and vibrant new
music, building something you can truly marvel at.

Considering 2017 will be the 30th
anniversary of Meshuggah’s
inception, their sound feels more contemporary than classic.Their rabid desire to explore and create
means each album seems to advance upon the previous album, rather than rigidly
stick to ‘safe’ boundaries and go no further.Tracks like ‘MonstoCity’ and
‘Our Rage Won’t Die’ are pummelling
tracks of new material which can easily be slotted in to their live set list
and not seem out of place.In fact, the
same could be said for any of those songs on display here: like a chain forged
by Vulcan (the Roman God of metalworking, not the Star Trek dudes), there’s not
a weak link present.It all hits, and
hits hard.

Meshuggah released ‘Nostrum’
as a preview for listeners and, personally speaking, it was a great bit of bait
to put onto the hook.Once you took a
bite of that dissonant, eerie, polyrhythmic slab of raw sound, that was
it.Reel you in, gut you, cook you, eat
you.Meshuggah had me on a
plate.“The Violent Sleep of Reason”is
made by a band that is the same age as me, yet shows no sign of strain or
weakness.Their sound has never been a
more vital alternative to the mainstream than now, and this latest offering
will no doubt be hailed as one of the pivotal albums of 2016.Wake up and get yourself a copy as soon as
you can.

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